


Stars

by AtropaAzraelle (Polyoxyethylene)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Sneaking Out, Stargazing, fluff week day 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 16:39:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12988125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polyoxyethylene/pseuds/AtropaAzraelle
Summary: Noctis sneaks out at night, and Ignis goes with him because at least this way he might be able to keep him safe.Written for Ignis Fluff Week Day 2 prompt: Sneaking out.





	Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I'm running behind on posting because of work commitments, but hopefully I'll get back on track tomorrow. Thank you as always to everyone that has commented and kudos'd my work so far, I really appreciate it, and I will get around to responding to all the comments when I have time. Thank you so much, all of you.

“Why can't we see them?”

Ignis, ten years old and swelling with _responsibility_ , pushed his glasses up his nose. “Light pollution,” he answered, succinctly. “Insomnia is a bad place to stargaze.”

“Don't suppose you know a way to get outside the Wall?” Noct asked, sullen and despondent for all of two seconds before he raised his camera to snap a shot of the sky, and what stars they could see.

Ignis was torn. Noct was _eight_ , and this wasn't the first time he'd caught him sneaking out of his room to go clambering on the Citadel roof. This wasn't the first time he'd come with him, either. He'd been tasked with standing by Noct's side, he'd been told that Noct needed a friend and a brother, and Ignis wanted so badly to be that for him. He wanted so badly to have a friend and brother of his own.

He had an Uncle, who worked at the Citadel while Ignis was at school. After school he came to play with Noct, and slept in one of the Citadel bedrooms at night, and that was it, that was his family. He'd met Gladiolus a few times, eleven years old and full of the swaggering bravado only an eleven year old could be, and Ignis knew that eventually Gladiolus would become as much a part of his own life as he already was Noct's. His majesty, and Lord Amicitia were always kind to him, although there was a sadness about his Majesty much of the time. His time with Noct was always cut short, and Ignis knew Noct missed his father, too.

So he tried to make up for it by being a proper brother to the Crown Prince of Lucis. Emphasis on try. He'd lent Noct some of his books, ones they'd pored over together when it was dark out and Noct had come creeping to his room because he was lonely and didn't like to sleep early anyway. He'd spent many nights lying on his stomach on the end of Ignis' bed, while Ignis had fought to stay awake because he got up very early for his school, but he didn't want to send Noct away so he could sleep. They'd looked at star charts and illustrated history books, and adventure stories from beyond the wall, and once, only once, a book on daemons.

It had given Noct nightmares, and they hadn't read that one since. Ignis had made sure to tuck it safely away in the back of his bookcase.

Now Noct was eight, and Ignis was ten, and Noct had wanted to see the stars for himself instead of just looking in Ignis' book, and Ignis, trying to be a big brother, had come with him. Every instinct in Ignis' gut told him it was a bad idea. Noct could fall, or they could get caught, but the part of Ignis that really wanted to go too pointed out that Noct could fall or get caught anyway, and at least if Ignis went with him he might be able to keep him safe.

They'd brought the book of stars. It was Noct's favourite. By extension it was Ignis' favourite too, although it had been a little bit dog eared and scratched by Noct's borrowing of it over the years. Ignis had tried to pretend it hadn't upset him, and Noct had given him a wobbly bottom lip as he'd apologised, and Ignis had to remind himself that only bad brothers made their six year old siblings cry, so he'd taught Noct how to carry books properly, and how to handle their pages, and he'd made himself be happy that Noct was trying.

Ignis sat with it now, open on his knee, some of the scratches that showed Noct's love leaving lines of reflected light from the persistent glow of the city across the page. “You should be able to see Antares,” he said, ignoring the question and looking down at his page for reference, and then up at the sky, “if you turn a quarter to your left.” He could see it, glowing red, still bright enough to be visible from within the city, but he didn't want to spoil Noct's fun by pointing it out to him.

Noct frowned at him, but he turned as directed and searched the sky. It gave Ignis a few moments of silence in which he could look back at the book and find the next one he should be able to see. It would be nice to see whole constellations, or maybe even see the whole galaxy, but in the city you could only see the brightest stars.

“That one?” Noct asked. 

Ignis looked up at where Noct was pointing, apparently unaware of the fact that you couldn't tell which star someone was pointing at unless you were sighting directly down their arm. “What colour is it?” he asked.

Noct looked back, and Ignis could practically hear the cogs working in his head before he answered, “Red.”

“That's Antares,” he confirmed.

Noct gave a satisfied huff and lifted his camera. Ignis hadn't wanted to spoil it for him and tell him that he'd get rubbish pictures of the stars without specialist lenses. The point wasn't really the pictures they got at the end of it anyway, it was the reminders of the moment, and the time spent together.

“Specky?” Noct asked. Ignis looked up at him, all blue eyes, and dark hair, and a smile that made it all worth it, even if they did get caught and get in trouble later. “Thanks for coming with me.”

Ignis looked down at his book, feeling his face flush because nobody ever really thanked him, and he hadn't done anything to warrant thanks. Not in his view, at least. “You're welcome,” he said, quietly.

“One day I want to do this outside the city,” Noct said, turning back to the stars.

Ignis looked up at him, and then up at the light polluted sky that still twinkled prettily above them. “One day we will,” he promised.


End file.
